God of War: Scenario Design

God of War - Temple Collapse Scenario

Problem:

More 'casual' or 'mainstream' players can sometimes become stuck on 'play-stoppers' – as in, a single route that they do not possess the skills to overcome. Particularly 'play-stoppers' produced by using particular gameplay elements, such as platform-based gameplay (moving platforms, moving blades, balancing beams etc).

Solution:

Attempt to solve / lessen the problem by providing an alternative route / method of bypassing such gameplay challenges. With each route supporting different play styles. Choose between a mainly combat-based route or a mainly platform/ skill-based route.

The new additions to the existing game are:

1. The falling temple debris and the way in which it impacts on the scenario – such as the context sensitive 'jumping to safety' events.
2. The debris dodging event in the final area
3. The camera shake / shaking environment – knocking player off feet
4. The split route / gameplay level design approach

Alternative approaches to the same problem:

• Dynamic Detection – automatically adjust the degree of challenge (enemies, speed of moving platforms etc) based on player performance (e.g. number of attempts against death count)
• Single route with dynamic event triggering – automatically adjust the events based on player performance (e.g. number of attempts against death count, preferred gameplay style)

It is my hope that this split-route approach goes some way towards making such a level / game more appealing and accessible to the mainstream or casual player. I will leave it to you, the reader, to judge if I have been successful or not.

Download Scenario PDF Document (1.5 MB)